Piano Keys
by Scheherazade's Sonata
Summary: Blair is left mute after an incident in her past, but as one door closes, another opens. Through the language of music, she unlocks the secrets of Unova and her childhood, the mystery behind the voices she hears, and the stories of everyone she touches. The world isn't as black and white as it seems. Partial BW novelization. Weekly updates.
1. Prelude

**-x-X-x-**

**~x Piano Keys x~**  
**Spring**  
**Chapter One: Prelude**

**-x-X-x-**

_"Truth or Ideals? Which path will you walk?"_

_A sky raining fire and storm. The earth tearing apart. Death singing in the air._

_"You can't do this! War will break apart the region!"_

_Screams and cries answered by silence. The lament of the damned. A requiem to life. _

_"What have you done?"_

_Silence. Dead, dead silence._

Blair's eyes snapped open, her heart thrumming staccato against her bedsheets. She counted one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and _ritardando_. It was a rehearsed schedule by now - the dream would come and Blair would forget. The brunette girl opened her mouth wide in a yawn, though no sound came out. She then reached over to her bedstand and turned the radio from a slow Bach to Unova's Hottest Hits. Lady Gaga's voice pranced in the room.

It was another day. _The_ day.

On cue, the door opened; her mother had heard the music switch. Her face was smiling, but Blair still read signs of weariness between the lines. "Happy birthday, sweetie." Blair tried to smile, but couldn't. Her mother sighed. "I'm sorry."

Today was the day her friends Cheren and Bianca would leave on their Pokémon journeys, their shared dream ever since they could remember. They would go and become famous Trainers and catch Pokémon and win badges. But not Blair.

"You know I would let you go if things weren't so... complicated. It's not safe out there, for you."

Words flew through her mind. How she would be perfectly safe with a Pokémon. How she could protect herself. How she would have Cheren and Bianca with her. Instead, she just nodded.

"You'll still get a Pokémon, though, with Cheren and Bianca. You can keep it as a pet. Or train it in Route 1." Her argument sounded weak to both of them. "Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry."

Blair nodded but didn't say anything, even as voices screamed in her head about how she didn't want a pet and she didn't want to battle the weak Pokémon on Route 1. Instead, she sat down at her piano bench. Her mother closed the door behind her.

Blair rested her fingers on the black and white keys, fingers curled, knuckles flat. She took in a deep breath, recalling her piano teacher's words. "Don't think. Just breathe." She breathed and Moonlight Sonata was heard in the house.

She couldn't say anything to her mother. She hadn't said a word in ten years.

**-x-X-x-**

_My name is Blair Liath and I am mute._

**-x-X-x-**

The door opened again in the third repeat of the second movement.

"Blair! Happy birthday!" The chord Blair had been playing was jarred as she was tackled out of the bench by a blond blur.

"Bianca, she was nearly finished with the movement," a black-haired boy chastised from the doorway, though he held a rueful smile. "Nice playing, by the way."

The blond girl—Bianca—pouted. "Sorry, Blair. I was just excited to see you. And we brought presents!"

Blair had to smile as Bianca fumbled with a box. She made a series of hand movements: "_You didn't have to."_

Bianca giggled and made a gesture back: "_Just open the presents."_

The first thing Blair's mom had done when Blair became mute was to get her a sign language tutor. It had taken months of convincing, of saying "See this? This means book. Can you say book?" before Blair finally relented and grasped onto a tiny, tiny part of her lost voice. A large part of it had to do with Cheren and Bianca finding out and wanting in. It was only after they started coming to her lessons that Blair first reluctantly signed back, "_Yes, I can say book. Now stop treating me like an idiot._" But the looks of shock and joy on their faces made it worthwhile.

Blair shredded the wrapping paper apart with seamless grace, lifting the inhabitants up to eye sight. Running Shoes and new headphones. It was one of those times when even if she had words, there were none to be spoken. She threw her arms around her two best friends: _Thank you._

Cheren adjusted his glasses awkwardly around Blair's arms. "Um. Blair. You can let go now."

Blair let go and poked Cheren in the face. Bianca giggled and poked Cheren also. Sometimes words weren't needed to express friendship.

"Stop it," Cheren said when the girls had degraded into child-play. "Blair, your mom should be receiving the box with the Pokémon from Professor Juniper, correct?"

Blair and Bianca quieted, looking at each other. Bianca with barely concealed excitement, Blair with barely concealed frustration. Blair nodded. She was used to silence, but the silence between them then was even more awkward than usual.

Cheren's face was completely blank, but to Blair it read of his almost bursting excitement, feverish anticipation, and burning ambitions to be Champion.

Bianca's face was about to split with the force of its grin, but to Blair it read of fluttering doubts and a deep secret fear.

Blair realized rather early that once you shut your mouth, your other senses wanted to compensate. She heard and saw new things, in the structure of a stride or sound of a sigh. The only problem was that she couldn't do anything about them. Her thoughts were broken off as the door opened.

"It's here!" Bianca shouted, jumping up and down.

"Bianca," Cheren said calmly (or at least appearingly so). "Let Blair's mother through."

"Oops. Sorry, Ms. Liath." Bianca sheepishly let the woman with the brightly wrapped box through. Blair's mother smiled.

"It's okay, Bianca. I know all of you have been waiting a long time for this. I'll just leave you to it." The door closed and the neatly wrapped present is left on the table.

"Blair should open it and pick first," Cheren said before Bianca can lunge on the box. "It's her birthday, after all." The unspoken words 'and she's the one who doesn't get to leave on a journey' were left unsaid, but Blair heard them anyway. Sometimes she thought she heard far too much.

But she still opened the present, the red bow sliding apart and the box collapsing. Three PokéBalls laid innocently on a black cushion. She took a breath and put her hand on the first one.

Its surface was temperate, neither warm nor cool. And faintly, she felt the thrumming like a heartbeat. Fast as the wind, interwoven with flutes and bassoons. The feeling of the wind rustling in the leaves of the trees, leaving shifting shadows. And within the lilting melody: a seething ambition.

Blair opened her eyes and put her hand on the next PokéBall, which felt warm to the touch. The heart beat was slower but steadier, like a drum beat: constant, rhythmic, the image of a tribal dance around a bonfire. Within the steady dance: burning energy.

She moved her hand to the last PokéBall, which felt like cool still water under her hand. The beat was steady as falling rain, the singing of a storm. Within the storm's symphony was a loyalty as steady as rain and fierce as a torrent.

Blair closed her fist.

Cheren quickly picked up the woodwind one, and Bianca the drums. The music in Blair's head had lowered to a hushed murmur, growing into a crescendo. The three friends looked at each other and nodded.

Three flashes of white light.

A green reptilian creature with gigantic scarlet eyes wandered up to Cheren, the leaf on her tail swishing as she touched her head to his palm. An orange piglet bounded up to Bianca, the ball on his spiral tail bouncing as he jumped excitedly over her.

And in front of Blair, a proud creature looked up with shining black eyes in a head of short white fur. In a fluffy blue collar and body rested a simple shell. Blair knew what it was: an Oshawott.

The two stared at each other for a moment longer. Then:

"Hello, fair maiden. Art thou my Mistress?"

**-x-X-x-**

_My name is Blair Liath and I can hear Pokémon._

**-x-X-x-**

Blair was unable to answer because 1) if she could, then the whole journeying thing would be much easier, and 2) Bianca's and Cheren's Pokémon suddenly bounded over and began chattering in their own language.

"Friend! Friend! My Trainer is nice!" Bianca's Pokémon beamed.

"Hmph. I suppose mine is preferable to either of yours," Cheren's Pokémon said distastefully, sticking her long pointed snout into the air.

"My Mistress is the greatest of all!" Blair's Pokémon declared, raising his shell to the air proudly. "I hereby swear to protect her Trainerness from all vile creatures!"

"My Trainer is nice, though! She is pretty and she talks to me!"

"Well, at least my Trainer doesn't just stare at everything like a creeper."

"Take back your words, wretched fiends!"

Cheren and Bianca were oblivious to the conversation. "Hey, Cheren, let's have a battle!" Bianca said excitedly.

"In here?" Cheren said, one eyebrow raised, but one side of his mouth quirked into a smirk. "Well... Why not." He suddenly blinked and looked at Blair. "You can... battle too, I guess."

Blair stared and stared, searching for the words that wouldn't come and wouldn't matter anyway. Just because she couldn't speak, couldn't order her Pokémon... Eventually she just nodded.

"Alright, Tepig!" Bianca addressed her orange Pokémon. "Tackle attack!"

"Counter with your own Tackle, Snivy!" Cheren's lizard swished and pounced.

"..." Only silence in the place where Blair's order should have been. Her Pokémon looked back.

"I await my orders, Mistress!" Still nothing. The Oshawott looked puzzled, but in the next moment he was knocked over by a squabbling Tepig and Snivy.

"Tackle again!"

"Duck, roll, and hit him with your tail!"

The Snivy ducked under an otherwise well-timed Tackle to have the Tepig slam into a desk and then be batted by the Snivy's tail-leaf. Oshawott uncertainly approached the scuffle only to be knocked aside as Tepig charged again. Bianca was shouting and pointing and Cheren was cooly countering with an almost professional air. They both looked animated and happy.

Blair could only watch.

_This is all I'll be able to do for the rest of my life_, she thought. _I'll watch them on TV reaching their goals and becoming Champions while I'm stuck in Nuvema Town playing piano until the day I die. They'll forget about me and move on and I'll never achieve my dream. What happened? Why can't I just speak? Just say one word. Tackle. Tackle. TACKLE._

Blair exhaled as her throat wound itself raw, but no sound came out.

_C'mon c'mon c'mon, Blair. It's just air over vocal folds. Say it. SAY IT._

Oshawott moved uncertainly around the edges of Bianca and Cheren's fight, occasionally stumbling in only to be pushed aside again to his indignance. Blair felt his frustration just as she felt her own knotted in her throat, constricting her.

_SAY IT JUST SAY IT._

"..."

Blair would have screamed if she could. She would have cried. Her Oshawott was experiencing similar annoyance, flailing around madly; attempting to barge into the scuffle before hesitating and drawing back.

_WHY CAN'T YOU LISTEN._

Blair slammed her fist into her piano. CLANG.

The discord seemed to rattle Cheren, Bianca, and their Pokémon out of their zone and they looked up, surprised and thrown off guard.

But to Blair and Oshawott, that chord seemed to set them on the right path. It resonated in them, and in that moment both Trainer and Pokémon knew what to do.

With a war cry, Oshawott took the shell from his chest and flung it at Snivy. Suddenly, the shape of the shell began to change midair, shifting into a rectangle glowing with shades of the rainbow. The transformed shell hit Snivy before rebounding at Tepig, and in one fluid movement, Oshawott caught it neatly in one paw, snatched Blair's violin bow from where it had fallen, and swept both Pokémon off their feet. The two already tired Pokémon were knocked out.

Cheren and Bianca stared at Blair as the still reverberating piano chord faded out, leaving only silence once again. Snivy and Tepig got to their feet again and joined the silence, Snivy's contemptuous, Tepig's wondering.

Blair let out a silent huff that she didn't know she was holding. Bianca's face split in a grin, though it was slightly jittery. Blair realized she was still glaring at them and quickly changed her expression, giving Bianca a small smile back.

"Wow, Blair! Your Oshawott is really strong!" Bianca bubbled.

Cheren seemed a bit disappointed, but smiled anyway. "Hey, it was only because Snivy and Tepig weakened each-other first, cheater."

Blair elbowed Cheren, albeit playfully (and guiltily).

"Ha! I have won back my pride, foolish peasants! I reign supreme!" The blue otter waved his makeshift sword around. Blair sighed and plucked the violin bow out of his hands, examining it for scratches. It wasn't Stradivarius, but that thing had been with her for a long time. "My Mistress, that is my valiant weapon!"

Cheren and Bianca went to their respective Pokémon also. As Bianca pet her Tepig, she told him, "I'm going to name you Carnitas." The newly named Carnitas jumped up happily, causing the blond girl to giggle.

"Nicknaming your Pokémon, huh?" Cheren adjusted his glasses as he met the eyes of his Snivy. "How about Natrix?" The Snivy, Natrix, hissed an agreement.

Neither of them bothered to ask Blair if she was going to name her Pokémon, and she didn't blame them. What was the point in nicknaming a Pokémon you could never call by name? And it wasn't like the Pokémon would ever even know it.

Blair looked at her Oshawott, and his beady black eyes looked back. In that moment, they connected. She knew that he would never be okay with sitting in her house all day, listening to her play Moonlight Sonata. He was born for adventure.

Now that she thought about it—so was she. In that moment, they both decided.

_Your name will be Kenbu. And we're going to be Champions._

**-x-X-x-**

_**~Blair's first name means 'battle,' fitting because she's a Trainer and it's also the same meaning as her "original" name, Hilda. It's also somewhat similar to the word 'black' and an ironic homophone of the word 'blare.' Her last name, Liath, means 'gray.'**_

_**~Cheren's Snivy's name, Natrix, comes from the name of genus of grass snakes.**_

_**~Bianca's Tepig's name, Carnitas, comes from a type of pork dish. (hahaha)**_

_**~Blair's Oshawott's name, Kenbu, comes from a type of ancient Japanese sword dance. This is sort of meant to symbolize the relationship between Blair and her Pokémon: that of a dancer and accompaniment.**_

**-x-X-x-**

**A few notes:**

**1. The first half of this fic will partially follow the BW storyline, but the second half will be original.**

**2. The cover is adapted from the surrealist artist Tang Yau Hoong, whose work is completely amazing and in no way belongs to me. **

**3. Writing this is a personal challenge. I've always been really fascinated by selective muteness****.**** I've had the idea of a mute Trainer using music to battle for a while, now. It's also a challenge to overcome the cliche of speaking to Pokémon.**

**4. This story is also a challenge to see if I can throw my procrastination habits while going completely against my usual quality over quantity philosophy. The chapters will probably not be long or of very good quality, but I'm aiming to publish one a week. I know it's not an excuse for extremely shitty writing, so critique is still welcome.**

**5. Because this is a quantity over quality race, I'm looking for a good beta reader. Requirements - competent editing skills, ability to beta quickly and at last minute, and G-Docs. Bonus for musical/music theory knowledge. I already have a sort of side-beta, but for this fic, I'd like a second opinion. All the betas. I want all the betas.**

**6. To give myself more motivation, I'm going to set a few personal rules for myself, and hey, there might be a benefit for you, too! ****I'm sticking hard to these rules and holding it to you to make me keep this promise. **

THE RULES: If I don't post a new chapter within a week, then I will put a number through a random generator to pick a person who reviewed the previous chapter. That person can get a gift of their choice from me, ranging from a short one-shot of anything that is not against my ideologies, a simple sketch drawing, a dedication/shameless plug, having an OC make an appearance in any of my fics, a suggestion for a scene, or almost anything upon request. If I fail to upload a chapter for three weeks, I will still make the gifts already decided, but I will put the story on hold to get my shit together.

**Sorry, this'll be the only long author's note. Sonata out, bros.**


	2. Anacrusis

**-x-X-x-**

**~x Piano Keys x~  
Spring  
Chapter 2: Anacrusis**

**-x-X-x-**

Bianca sighed as she entered her house. She had a Pokémon! She was going to be a Trainer! Cheren had told her to meet him at the mouth of Route 1 in thirty minutes, which gave her enough time to check that she had packed all her things. Her father wasn't home, so at least she didn't have to worry about him.

"Carnitas," she said softly as she let the Tepig out onto the tile floor. She had to smile as she said the name. "This is my home."

"Tep!" Carnitas began curiously circling and Bianca giggled. She was a Trainer. And Carnitas listened to her! That would show her father that she could be a Pokémon Train—

"Bianca!"

She froze, and slowly turned around.

"D-Daddy, I thought you were still at work..."

"We were called off early. Now, shouldn't you be—" He cut off as Carnitas happily trotted up to him, leaving tiny prints across the white tile. Bianca's face turned white. "What is this."

"I can expl—"

"You're saying this thing is _yours_?"

"I, no it's not—I mean yes, he's mine, and Professor Juniper, she just... Cheren and Blair and I..." Bianca fell apart. She had rehearsed the thoughts in her mind many times, but as her father's stony face stared at her, veins bulging, Bianca couldn't breathe. Carnitas seemed confused, nuzzling at her ankles. "He's-mine-and-I-really-wanna -be-a-Trainer-Daddy-please-don't-take-him-away-fro m-me."

"Bianca, you want to be a _Pokémon Trainer_?" her father said, eyes still unreadable. "You're still having those ideas? That's... That's unacceptable!"

"What? Daddy, no!" Bianca clutched the hem of her skirt. Two years ago, she was already held back from Training because of her father's whims. "You were a Trainer!"

"I was. And then I realized what a foolish decision that was. Besides, the Training world is no place for a girl."

Carnitas brushed against her ankle and she felt his inner fire through her socks. Suddenly, Bianca felt a simmering, burning anger. "But Blair has a Pokémon, and she can't even talk! Actually, she _beat_ me, today!" Bianca shouted defiantly, as if Carnitas' presence gave her strength.

"Even more reason for you not to go! If even a mute girl can beat you, what do you think you're going to do as a Trainer?" He was practically bellowing. Bianca flinched back.

"I mean..." Her father was right. Blair wasn't even going on a journey, and she was brilliant. Why did she think she could be anywhere near as good as her or Cheren? Still, she felt resentment. "Mom was a Trainer."

Her father stiffened and Bianca was afraid that she'd crossed the line by the sudden violent shade he took. "Go to your room," he said quietly. "I'll deal with you after I call the Pokémon Services. They should be glad to take your Pokémon."

"What?" Bianca's eyes widened and she felt her Tepig's heat suddenly flare up. "You can't do that!"

"I can do what I want! You're not being a Trainer!"

"I am! I am and you can't stop me!" Bianca shouted back. Her father actually looked slightly surprised, and in the moment of vulnerability, Bianca fled up the stairs to her room, Carnitas at her heels.

As she marched through her doors, she started to slam the door behind her, but ended up just weakly leaning against it.

"What should I do?" She hadn't meant to shout back like that. She didn't even know where that came from. She wasn't like Cheren, who wanted to be Champion. Why was she so intent on being a Trainer? And moreover, why did she mention her mother? She collapsed onto her bed.

"Tep?" Carnitas jumped onto the bedspread next to her, snout in her hair. "Tepig?"

"I don't know what to do, Carnitas," she said softly. "I don't even know what I want to do. I don't really want to be a Champion. I don't even like battling that much. But... I remember some things my mom said..."

"Tep-tepig?"

Bianca chuckled. The spirit had left her and she just felt drained. "Mom was a great Trainer. I don't know why she married a lousy person like Dad. But she told me about her adventures, and the Pokémon she caught... It sounded so nice. She said she found... something. I never got to find out what it was."

"Tep!" Bianca laughed as the Tepig jumped on her in excitement. The blond girl then paused, looking her starter in the eye.

"I don't want to lose you," she realized. Carnitas tilted his head. "I don't know why I want to be a Trainer, but I know I'm not going to let Daddy take you away." She unhooked the bag she'd packed from her bedpost and opened her window. There was a tree she'd used in the past to go visit Blair and Cheren, sometimes. "Maybe... Maybe I'll find what I'm looking for, like my mom did."

"Tepig!" Bianca smiled and offered her starter an arm so he could climb onto her shoulder. She swung her packed bag over her shoulder as she held the window frame and grasped the closest tree branch.

_You can't stop me._

**-x-X-x-**

Cheren was excited. His outward appearance would tell you otherwise, but any of his close friends could tell. This was his dream.

"Sni." Natrix had curled around his neck and her leaf was ticking his chin. Cheren had told Bianca to meet him in thirty minutes, giving him enough time to say goodbye to his parents.

But when he walked through the doors of his house, his mother and father were sitting side by side, almost expectantly. That was Cheren's first sign that things were wrong.

"Hi. I got my Pokémon."

"That's nice, Cheren. Take a seat."

This was not looking good, but Cheren took the seat across from them. Natrix stirred, a reassuring weight on his neck. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, sweetie. Actually, we have some very good news," his mother said. Her expression could have fooled him.

"This came in the mail today." His father slid an envelope to Cheren. The black-haired boy took it suspiciously, but then his eyes widened as he saw the name on the envelope. He quickly took the paper out and scanned it.

"What? This is a recommendation to Castelia University!" The prestigious school was the best in Unova. "This is... wow. I can't believe it." He noticed that his parents were still quiet and something in him twisted, again. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Sweetie, this is a one-time only deal. You did so well on your test scores that they're willing to pay for the entire tuition. If you're in, you're in. This is the chance of a lifetime. If you refuse now..." His mother trailed off. "Their classes start in three days."

Cheren pieced it together. "I won't be able to go on my journey."

"Now, Castelia University has a wonderful Pokémon program, as well as a huge array of other subjects. You can take your Pokémon with you, and even if that doesn't work out, you'll have an alternative. You can take classes in math or science. If you become a Trainer..."

"There isn't a guarantee I'll make the top," Cheren finished. He knew the statistics, knew how ninety percent of Trainers were forced to drop out in their first year of Training after losing so many battles and being unable to pay off the Trainer tax. "You don't think I'll make the top."

"It's not that," Cheren's father said. "We just think you should broaden your horizons. Pokémon Training is dangerous and hard. It's not even guaranteed to make much money—"

"I don't care about money." Cheren felt frustrated, and he felt Natrix coil up, too. "I told you. I want to be Champion." But a nagging feeling tugged in his mind. Blair had beaten him today, and she wasn't even going on a journey. She was mute, for heavens' sake.

"You do realize there can only be one Champion? I know you're incredibly gifted, but you're up against the impossible. At least if you went to school for a bit longer..."

"Longer?" At that, Cheren's temper nearly snapped. "You already held me back from Training for two years, saying it was for my education!"

"And look, it was worth it!" Cheren's father matched his tone. "You got accepted to Castelia Unviersity!"

"And I'm not going." Cheren crossed his arms and Natrix hissed in agreement.

"That's enough, Cheren." Cheren made eye contact with his father. "For your own good, we're going to sign you up for Castelia."

The black-haired boy stood up so suddenly, Natrix nearly fell off. "You can't do that."

"Sweetie, calm down," his mother said soothingly. "You can always drop out if you still don't like it. You'll be ruining your future if you become a Trainer. You could excel at any subject you chose, so why choose Training?"

Cheren clenched and unclenched his fists, grasping at the right answer. He didn't really know why he wanted to be a Trainer, but ever since he saw Alder as a child... "Fine." Both his parents and Natrix seemed surprised. Cheren turned away. "I'll go to my room and prepare."

He left in the moment of surprise and managed to glimpse his parent's relieved faces as he disappeared through his doors. Once they were closed, Natrix immediately jumped off, hissing in betrayal.

"Sni!"

"Shh, relax, Natrix." Cheren knelt and put a hand on her cool scales. Then with one arm, he grabbed his traveling pack, while his Snivy used the other to climb up to his shoulder again. His gray eyes hardened behind his glasses. "I'm not letting anything stop me from being Champion."

**-x-X-x-**

Now that she'd made up her mind, Blair was at a crossroads.

_Ostinato. G natural. Sforzando. Half pedal. Presto agitato._

"Mistress, what is that singing you are doing?" Kenbu wove around her feet and she nearly kicked him as she reached for a pedal. "I was unaware that humans could sing with more than one voice at once."

At the mention of singing, Blair's fingers stiffened and she stumbled over an arpeggio. That burning sensation tugged at her throat again. It would be so easy to just sing. Instead, she kept playing. After a moment, Kenbu jumped up onto the piano bench and laid against her.

_What do I do?_ she wondered as she absentmindedly played. _I need to leave this place. I have to. Nothing is keeping me here._

_Not quite, _another part of her shot back. Without anyone to talk to, Blair often defaulted to talking to herself, which was pretty damn sad. _Are you expecting all your opponents out there to already be weakened, like you did with Cheren and Bianca? You can't give commands. You can't talk._

_I can... do... I don't..._

Blair was saved from answering herself when the door opened. Instantly, Blair saw. The redness in her mother's eyes, the mark of a careless burn on her hand, a raspiness in her voice.

"Moonlight Sonata," she said quietly, joining Blair on the piano bench. "You've been playing that a lot lately. That song has quite a history, as you should know: Beethoven wrote the piece when he fell in love and proposed to a countess he was tutoring. But she turned him down because her parents wouldn't allow it. The original title was _Quasi una Fantasia_, or _Almost a Fantasy_; he wrote it for his fairy tale that was torn away right before the happily ever after."

Blair looked away. Her mother was crying.

"I haven't been a very good mother. I'm so, so sorry. I've been keeping here because I don't want anything like... that... to ever happen again. But I was being wrong and selfish." Her mother took a breath, steeling herself. "That's why... I don't ever want to hear you play that song again."

Blair's eyes widened as she looked up to meet her mother's, but her gaze had already averted to the floor. Blair hesitated before curling her middle and ring fingers down in a traditional rocker sign that held a different meaning in sign language. She took her mother's hand with it and the crying woman cracked a smile.

"I love you, too."

Blair's mind was made up.

**-x-X-x-**

After her mother left the room, Blair moved quickly, stuffing various belongings in an old canvas bag, also throwing on the Running Shoes and headphone gifts from Cheren and Bianca. She spend a much longer time angsting in front of her instrument rack. She knew they were impractical, but since she lost her voice, her instruments were inseparable from her. The flute was light and compactable, but the guitar had such good sound quality... Eventually, she decided on her violin which was relatively light and whose sound could arguably contest a Stradivarius.

She checked her watch. Five minutes until Cheren said he would meet with Bianca. She should still be able to catch them. Slinging her violin across her back and her back across her shoulder, she hurried down the stairs, hesitating as she approached the door before going through. She hadn't said goodbye to her mother, but some things went without saying.

"Excuse me, miss!" Blair skidded to a halt as the postman called out to her. "Package for Blair Liath."

Blair nodded. When the postman just stared at her, she awkwardly tried to indicate that _she_ was Blair Liath before sighing, just taking the package and walking off.

She opened the box distractedly as she speed-walked toward the Route 1 entrance. She assumed it was some sort of birthday gift from a relative. When the battle with Scotch tape was won, she stopped as she lifted out a blanket. When she brushed away the folds, there was an egg in her arms. It pulsed quiet but constant as the click of a castanet. Blair looked into the box again and took out an envelope, flipping it over. Her eyes widened and she quickly ripped out the letter, not caring that she'd probably miss Cheren and Bianca as they left.

_'To my dear sister'_

_'Happy birthday to you! Well, to us, actually. Sorry I couldn't swing by this year. Being a Trainer is busy stuff, you know? But I figured this lil' guy could keep you company. Don't ask where I got it. Anyway, say hi to Bianca and Cheren for me!'_

_'From your beloved brother, Finnian.'_

Blair looked at the letter once again before sighing and crushing it in her fist. _Say hi? You're as tactful as ever. Asshat._ After a thought she reluctantly wrapped the blanket around the egg again and tucked it into the crook of her elbow. She didn't want to take charity from her twin, but she couldn't turn back home now, and her mother would probably disapprove, too.

When she arrived at the entrance to Route 1, she was surprised to see Bianca and Cheren just arriving, also.

"B-Blair?" Bianca stuttered.

"_You're late_," she signed back nonchalantly.

Bianca giggled nervously. "Haha, yeah... Uh, I had a few complications, but everything's alright, now."

"Me, too." Cheren adjusted his glasses. "So I'm assuming your complications are also sorted out?"

Bianca looked at Blair and they both nodded. "Come on! Let's take the first step of our journey together."

Despite or maybe because of her muteness, Blair had a fascination of words, how they could but never would roll of the tongue – strange words, beautiful words, foreign words. One of her favorites was _Attraversiano_ – an Italian word that meant 'let's cross over.' As in, "Hey, the light is green. Attraversiano." Or: "Why did the chicken attraversiano?" Blair had always thought the word interesting and oddly meaningful, and it was fitting for the situation.

The three friends took a step and crossed over into their new world.


	3. Poco a Poco

**-x-X-x-**

**~x Piano Keys x~  
Spring  
Chapter Three: Poco a Poco**

**-x-X-x-**

"Blair?" Professor Juniper blinked in surprise. "I wasn't aware that you'd be joining us."

Blair shrugged. If there was one good thing about being mute, it was the ability to be obnoxiously vague about everything and get away with it.

Juniper blinked, and Blair could see the conflict going on behind the Professor's eyes, concern and politeness battling it out. Politeness won. "Well... I have an extra PokéDex with me, so it should be okay." She righted herself. "Anyway, I'm trusting that you three received the Pokémon I sent you?"

The three Trainers nodded. With a flash of light, the three Unovan starters appeared. Kenbu immediately latched himself to Blair's foot.

"Mistress! It is lovely to see your shining face after the long days past!"

Blair sighed. _It's been ten minutes..._

Professor Juniper smiled. "Well, it appears he's grown attached to you, at least." The professor procured three packages which she handed out to the three new Trainers. "Here. These are the Trainer Kits that you ordered."

Blair ripped through hers and procured a mechanical gray device with a white PokéBall sigil. It flipped open with a musical jingle (_major arpeggio triad, _Blair noted,_ A, C sharp, E_), and immediately locked onto the Oshawott locked onto Blair's foot.

"_Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. Oshawott attacks and defends itself using the scalchop that can be removed from its stomach_." Hmm. So that's what the thing was called.

Kenbu jumped and hissed at the sound of the PokéDex. "Witchcraft! Get away, fair maiden, for I shall slay the fiend!"

Blair would have replied with an amazingly witty response, but sadly, her life sucked. Instead, she proceeded to look at the rest of the information on the screen, glad that it wasn't voice-command, pausing when she got to the moves section. _Tackle, Tail Whip, Trump Card._ That was probably the strange attack Kenbu used yesterday; Blair didn't recognize it as a normal move that Oshawott knew. She put the PokéDex away, along with the five included PokéBalls and Map of Unova, as Cheren and Bianca finished scanning their own Pokémon.

Juniper nodded again. "The PokéDexes I gave you will record data about the Pokémon across the region. As we compile the statistics, we can learn more about them."

Blair nodded, having heard much the same thing when she watched her own brother leave her behind. PokéDexes used to be rare, with only the bravest of Trainers taking them and exploring, discovering new Pokémon and recording data. Now, all Trainers had them, and even though the PokéDex was already nearly complete in every way and Pokémon knowledge was ingrained into every child's brain, the constant stream of data allowed researchers to map migration patterns and graph growth so Trainers were obligated to scan the Pokémon they saw, even if they already knew what they were.

Professor Juniper smiled. "I've known you children for quite some time. You're ready for what's to come, I know it. And—" She gave each Trainer a knowing look. "—I'll be sure to talk to your parents." The three betrayed very different expressions at that – Bianca of fear, Cheren of defiance, Blair of guilt. The Professor simply smiled again before turning away and walking back. "I'll be checking up on you. Stay safe and have fun!"

When she disappeared, the three Trainers looked at each other again.

Bianca smiled sunnily, though there was a dark undercurrent to it. Blair could only watch as the doubt passed over her eyes. "Well, we're all Trainers, now! Hey, I know! Let's have a competition!"

"A competition?" Cheren said evenly, though his glasses glinted.

"Yeah. Let's split up and see who has the most Pokémon by the time we get to Accumula."

"Sounds good." Blair nodded as well. The three friends took their separate paths.

Route 1 was quiet enough to unnerve Blair. She'd never been fond of silence, even though he was her only companion most of the time. For a moment, she was glad that her Oshawott didn't know how to shut up.

"Fair lady, a knight as I would not permit for you to walk the dangers of the front lines. Therehence, I shall ta-" He tripped and fell on his face. "There is an enemy at hand! Stay behind me!"

Or not.

Still, the Oshawott was a piece of work. Blair wasn't sure what she was expecting in a Pokémon, but this wasn't it. She'd heard all kinds of Pokémon speaking and there were some pretty interesting personalities. Kenbu seemed like one of them. Still... It was nice to see a Pokémon so loyal to her, even though they'd only met hours ago. Blair remembered Cheren or Professor Juniper saying something about how Pokémon formed bonds more quickly than humans. It was kind of sweet. And kind of disturbing.

"My Trainer, why have you not said anything?"

Blair froze.

The Oshawott continued to stare at her. "Does something ail you. Or—" His face looked suddenly stricken. "Or do you simply not deign to speak to lesser mortals as I?"

Blair shook her head vehemently, unconsciously making hand gestures in the form of sign language, denying it. She sighed, bending down to look at her starter more evenly, patting his head. His fur was sleek as water. _I'm sorry_. _It's not your fault I suck as a Trainer. It's not your fault I'm a complete coward._

The Oshawott simply stared at her. It was an ironic role reversal, at least. The Trainer understood the Pokémon and the Pokémon didn't understand the Trainer.

Why couldn't she just talk? This journey was going to be impossible. Blair clenched her fist in the grass, watching it become a rolling sea as her vision blurred. It was another one of those side-effects from her muteness. She could read other people like an open book, but others could do the same to her; a jail made of glass, soundproof only one way. When a person is mute, they can't express their emotions through words, so they express them through actions – violence, smiles, or tears. It helped her connect a little more with the world, but Blair still didn't like crying.

_I could always quit and turn back..._

Suddenly, Blair heard a noise behind her, an _ostinato_ of woodwind leaves. She stopped and closed her eyes, blinking away the tears and listening. _Decrescendo, fermata rest, count one-and-two-and-three-and-_

_Move!_

She tackled Kenbu to the side just as she saw a dark shape streak past her.

"I'm under attack! Mistress, this is dangerous, g- Oh, it was you."

"All right, sweetheart, don't get your seashells in a twist. I was just planning on clawing that human's eyeballs out. Don't mind me."

Blair dusted herself off and checked to make sure her violin and the egg were still okay before standing before the attacker, clearing the rest of her vision. It was dark-furred and cat-like, the color of a nocturne with spots of white _sforzando_. Green eyes narrowed, a bend in its tail like the flag of an eighth note. It hissed like flat air from a shitty oboe player.

"Stay behind me, Mistress," Kenbu declared. "I shall slay this witch in your honor."

"Oh, you are too cute," the dark creature said sweetly, before snarling. "Bring it."

Kenbu took his shell thing and charged forward, to which the dark creature ducked and lashed out with claws unsheathed.

_Behind you,_ Blair shouted. Except not really, because things would be a lot easier if she could. Instead, Kenbu was jumped and Scratched across the back.

"How dare you attack a warrior with his back turned! Have you no honor?"

"Nope," the cat deadpanned, before attacking again.

"Mistress, I require aid," Kenbu shouted, parrying with his scalchop before jumping back. "Your commands are my wishes."

_I need to help him,_ Blair thought._ I'm his Trainer. I'm supposed to be the one guiding him._

The dark cat and blue otter continued to scuffle. It looked more and more like Kenbu was on the losing side.

_C'mon, just say it. Even if he has only two moves, he still needs you. Two syllables, Blair, you can do it. Taaah-calllll. Oh come on, what is wrong with you? It's just one word. No big deal. Stop being a pansy and face it. It's been seven years..._

"Why do you even follow that stupid human?" the cat hissed as one of Kenbu's attacks clipped it. "Those Trainers, aren't they supposed to help you? Fat lot of good yours is doing."

Blair flinched.

Kenbu's beady eyes narrowed. "Do not insult the honor of my Trainer." He threw his seashell straight at the cat, who yelped and ducked, only to get hit full-force by a spout of water and knocked into a tree where it lay still – Kenbu had learned Water Gun. "Or I will make you regret it."

Blair didn't realize when she had started crying again, but she did look up when the Oshawott nudged her.

"My lady."

Blair smiled and signed her gratitude in the language of silence, a blown kiss placed on his head – a knighting and a thank you. An unspoken bond between them. Little by little, they began to understand. Perhaps she would never be able speak to him, and he understood that. But he would forever be loyal to her, no words needed to explain it. Blair knew she made the right choice when picking her first Pokémon.

After a fermata that seemed to last forever, Blair stood up. They exchanged a look and understood each other, walking toward the tree where the other Pokémon just began to stir again.

Blair looked down at the fallen Pokémon, before looking up at the sky. The shadows of the trees stretched away from the sinking sun. She was supposed to be at Accumula soon, and she hadn't caught any Pokémon. She was not letting Cheren have a leg up on her, even if it meant catching a bloodthirsty kitten.

Fishing a red and white PokéBall from her bag, she stood over the dark cat and clicked the button once, enlarging it. It looked up with wide eyes, before narrowing them.

Blair let the ball fall.

The cat disappeared and the ball shook once. Twice. Three times.

_Grand pause..._

_Ding!_

Blair had caught her first Pokémon. She took out her new PokéDex and pointed it at the PokéBall.

"_Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Purrloin fools people into letting their guard down so it can steal their possessions. When angered, it uses its claws to fight back."_

_No shit,_ Blair thought, pressing the next button on the screen.

"Your _Purrloin_ is-" the machine jumped a minor fifth as the pre-recording inserted the appropriate words with no regard to pitch continuity, "-_Female, Level 6. _Ability: _Limber._ Knows _Foul Play, Scratch, Growl, Assist._"

_Foul Play_, Blair realized. _That's the move she used against Kenbu – it uses the opponent's attack power against it._ She leaned down and picked up the ball. Perhaps it was the setting sun, but it appeared to have a darker cast than Kenbu's. The music coming off it was angular and punctuated, but vivacious with a certain air of verve.

_Vogue,_ she decided. _Your name will be Vogue._

**-x-X-x-**

"Hey, Blair!" Bianca called, waving the girl over to where she and Cheren were waiting. "You were the late one, this time. We were about to go looking for you!"

"_You_ were about to go looking for her. Blair can handle herself," Cheren said. "Did you catch any Pokémon?"

Blair nodded, holding up a finger.

"Then it looks like a three way tie. We all have two Pokémon, now."

Blair held up her egg, miffed. Okay, it wasn't as if she had lost the challenge, but she did technically have three Pokémon. Thanks to her brother.

"Oh right, you have an egg!" Bianca chirped, fawning over the round shape. "I wonder what's in it."

"...Why are you looking at me," Cheren said defensively at his two friends' sudden stares.

_"Says the person who got a perfect score on his Pokémon exams,"_ Blair signed airily. But the hand movements seemed to have struck a chord in Cheren, who shifted his gaze uncomfortably. Nobody else noticed.

"I'm not perfect – don't give me that look." Blair smirked but Cheren took a closer look at the egg, anyway. "Your brother Finnian could have gotten it from anywhere in Unova. He is a full-fledged Trainer, since he started two years ago. It could even be a foreign Pokémon."

Blair rolled her eyes. If Finnian had gotten her a foreign Pokémon, it would probably be something like a Magikarp. Taking back her egg, she turned her back and sauntered off into Accumula Town. To a regular person it may have seemed rude, but Cheren and Bianca were used to it.

The night closed over Accumula on Blair's first day of being a Trainer.

**-x-X-x-**

_**~Vogue is a style of house dance with Harlem ballroom origins, with very exaggerated and erratic movements and often including stunts and complex choreography. It emphasizes both fluidity and rigidity.**_

_**~Uhh, I've been forgetting to explain these chapter titles. Prelude: a short piece played before the actual song. Anacrusis: a "pick-up" note that does not fit into the meter, typically the first note of a piece. Poco a Poco – little by little.**_


	4. Discord

**-x-X-x-**

**~x Piano Keys x~  
Spring  
Chapter Four: Discord**

**-x-X-x-**

That night, Blair dreamed again.

_"This is a bad idea."_

_"You are not my advisor."_

_"I am your friend and equal."_

_"Then why are you so opposed to me? I'm only doing what is good for Unova."_

_"Yes, and so am I. If you do this, it will destroy our country."_

_"But creation can't happen without destruction! In order for things to change for the better, I have to do this!"_

_"...Fine. Then I will have to stop you."_

Splash.

Blair jolted into awareness when a jet of water hit her face, gasping and choking. Coughing as a selective mute was strange. Something in Blair's mind wouldn't even permit that most basic sound, so coughing felt the same as drowning.

"My Lady, are you alright!"

Blair suddenly remembered. She had let Kenbu out of his ball to sleep with her. She still wasn't willing to let her new Purrloin out, though, but at least she knew where the water came from. She made a soothing gesture to let him know she was alright.

The Oshawott clearly wasn't appeased. "You looked distressed, like you were in pain. You looked like... you were trying to say something. Call out to something."

Blair blinked, surprised. That was... interesting. Well, it wasn't like she knew what she looked like when she was sleeping. The dream was fading from her memory but the uneasy feeling still trapped her, so she pet Kenbu absentmindedly before sitting up and going to the place she went to whenever any strong feeling was trapped within her, unable to escape through her throat. Music.

She strode over to where her violin rested in the makeshift sling-case, checking to make sure the short journey hadn't damaged it before arranging the shoulder grip. The bow she brandished like a sword, sliding the bar of resin down the fine hairs as if she were whetting it, before shaking out the extra resin dust. Powder swirled in the early morning rays. She took a breath and stood straight, instrument perched on her shoulder like a wooden songbird.

The first was a long, plaintive A note as Blair studied the pitch and tonal quality. Next, a D string joined it – two notes at once. Soon she finished playing all the combinations of strings, twisting the fine-tuners until there were no discords. She stopped and took another breath, completely ignoring the silent and awed look of Kenbu watching her.

Keeping her teacher's voice in mind, Blair breathed. And played.

Her heart rate was still slightly high so she started with an adagio from Bach. The purposeful long notes set inside her as the beating of her heart slowed to match it, becoming a resilient metronome. Her mind clear, she went straight into the main theme of the piece.

Even a slow piece like this was incredibly nuanced, at least in Blair's eyes. Music held meanings, and perhaps that was why she was so fond of it. She closed her eyes and enveloped herself in the song. In each vibrato she tried to carry the essence of thunder, and in the _forte_ parts, the passion of fire. Blue jagged webs and red swirls moved on the insides of her eyelids, dancing with the beat. The movement came to an end but instead of stopping or going onto the next movement, she threw in a triad and then a flurry of sixteenth scales, adding her own flairs. A rainbow of notes appeared in the black of her mind, arranging themselves into a new melody as Blair's fingers moved on their own, fading from Bach to something completely new, capturing the sorrow and futility within the bars of a staff, caging it. Slowly her dream melted away, combining with the song and becoming a harmless but beautiful melody.

Blair didn't know how long she had played, but as her eyes opened and the final note closed, she saw Kenbu still sitting on the bed fixed on her with incredible intensity. He seemed jarred when Blair didn't continue playing.

"Mistress, that was beautiful!" Kenbu gushed. Blair grimaced though; her fifth position was off-key and she had changed the theme three times. The Oshawott still seemed awefully perplexed, so Blair rested the violin next to him, demonstrating how to pluck a string.

He responded by snapping the string in half.

Kenbu spent the next ten minutes apologizing and begging forgiveness. Blair cradled the violin like a baby, cursing (silently) when she realized she didn't have any E strings with her. She could make do with three strings plus third position, but it wasn't the same. Blair sighed, slinging the instrument across her back. The sky was blue and it was about time for her to get up anyway; she just hoped a town as small as this had a music store.

The Pokémon Center lobby was moderately crowded with Trainers prepping for the new day. Blair was waiting in the PokéMart stall line when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"You. Are you the one who was making all that racket this morning?"

Blair turned around to meet the eyes of a girl glaring at her. Immediately Blair's mind noticed: the worn clothing and four PokéBalls at her belt meant she was an experienced Trainer despite being Blair's age and slight bags under her eyes meant she hadn't slept well.

Blair crossed her arms and shrugged in response to the other girl's question, feeling slightly affronted and slightly guilty. She was so used to playing music in the solitude of her house, but hey, it wasn't that bad, was it?

The girl's glare deepened. "Playing the silent card, are we?"

Now Blair was really annoyed; people always made that assumption. Without a way to defend herself, she turned away, trying to get her heart rate down again.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm talking to y—"

Blair whipped around and pushed the other girl back perhaps a little too roughly, sending her careening into the floor. Blair gave up on keeping her temper when the other girl sprang back up furiously. The crowd around them shuffled back, giving them room. There were a few crass laughs and jeers for a catfight, but mostly whispering and stares. Blair could imagine their thoughts from their faces: _what a rude girl, first the silent treatment and now starting a fight. What did she ever do to you?_ Blair hated looking on their open-book faces and knowing their disgust, so she just turned back to the other girl, who pulled a PokéBall from her belt. Blair did the same.

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Nurse Joy and her Audino parted the crowd.

The other girl's eyes narrowed but she relaxed her posture. "I was just asking why she was making all that noise in the morning and she ignored me. I tried asking her again and then she shoved me; she was the one who started it!" The other people nodded their agreement. Words of justification popped into Blair's mind but none of them mattered.

Sure enough: "Is that true?" Blair met the Nurse's eyes... and looked away, crossing her arms. She didn't care what other people thought of her anymore.

"Wait!" Another divide was made in the crowd, this time more forcefully as Cheren pushed his way through. He took one look and pieced together the situation. "Already, Blair?"

Blair gave him an innocent look. At school, she got into fights by habit. She couldn't settle manners with words, so she settled for fists—seemed to make sense to her. It was usually up to Cheren to pull her out of them. As if she couldn't handle herself.

"Tell me your side of the story," Cheren commanded. Blair sniffed and looked away. "Blair, tell me." Nothing. "Blair, if you don't tell me, I'll tell them."

Blair glared mutinously before lifting a hand and making one brusque movement: _"Violin."_

The rest of the crowd gasped anyway. "She's deaf?" the other girl said, surprised.

Everyone always went to that assumption. That's why Blair didn't like to use sign language in public. It was annoying when everyone treated her as if she couldn't hear them; she heard far more than any of them. Cheren gave her a look. "She's just mute," he explained for her. "And she didn't mean any harm by playing her violin this morning or not saying anything back to you."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" A look of comprehension dawned upon Nurse Joy's face, and then regret. "I'm sorry. I heard your playing this morning but I didn't try to stop you because it was so nice. I guess it's partly my fault." A few other Trainers looked more relaxed now that they understood the situation, too, but the other girl still seemed a bit annoyed. Blair felt much the same; she didn't like all the pitying looks in her direction.

"Blair," Cheren said pointedly. "It was still mostly your fault. Apologize."

Blair and the other girl glared at each other before she made a stiff hand gesture. The Nurse and the girl seemed mollified, so Cheren and Blair took the opportunity to leave through the Center doors.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Cheren gave her an exasperated look. "...Blair, you just gave her the sign for 'you are a douchebag'."

So what if Blair was a little vindictive.

**-x-X-x-**

The two walked around Accumula, not talking. While Bianca was good at filling silence, Cheren was good at sharing it. The quiet was "broken" when Blair raised a hand, turning her head toward the town center where a large crowd was forming. The two looked at each other before joining them.

"My name is Ghetsis. I am here representing Team Plasma."

The speaker's voice was low with age and laced with a rainbow of subtleties—a touch of yellow politeness, a dash of violet conceit. The colors matched his robes, made of fine embroidered silk. His eyepatch was red as charisma. Flanking his sides were people in blue clothes with white tunics, looking like something out of a Camelot tale as they carried banners and shields bearing the emblem of a stylized P.

The man named Ghetsis continued in his grave and rolling tone, "Today, ladies and gentleman, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation."

The effect was immediate—people began whispering fervently in confusion and disbelief. Cheren turned to Blair with an eyebrow raised. Blair shrugged and continued listening.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other. However... Is that really the truth?" He made a sweeping gesture toward the crowd, robes fluttering. "Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans... only assume that this is the truth?"

The crowd again grew into a crescendo of murmuring. One person even shouted out defiantly, "Of course we're partners! That's what being a Trainer is! We help each other for mutual benefit." Blair turned to see it was the same girl from that morning. A few more voices of protest joined hers. Blair would have pointed out that she was the one who was about to use her 'partners' this morning to settle a selfish personal vendetta, but she couldn't.

Ghetsis looked the girl in the eye impassively. "Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of Trainers... They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work... Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in what I'm saying?"

This time, the space after his remark was filled with silence. Blair simply stared ahead even as Cheren at her side looked uncertain. She knew that many Pokémon suffered under the hands of Trainers. She knew that people that believed in the delusion that humans and Pokémon were equals were naive. Humans took Pokémon from their homes and forced them to fight for their own entertainment. Pokémon could die in battle and humans risked little to nothing.

And she didn't really care.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility toward these wonderful beings called Pokémon? That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals."

It was naive to think that Team Plasma or anyone could hope to try and separate humans and Pokémon when they had been so closely intertwined for much of history. Every part of human luxury relied on the sacrifices of Pokémon, from energy to labor to entertainment. To try and believe in separation or equality was the dream of idealists. The only thing Blair considered odd was that Ghetsis did not look like an idealist...

The green-haired man stepped back with a respectful bow. "Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon... and the correct way to proceed. We sincerely appreciate your attention." When he and his underlings disappeared, the crowd dissipated, muttering under their breaths, some scornful, some doubtful. Soon only she and Cheren remained.

"What do you think, Blair?" Cheren's voice was calm, but his eyes still betrayed some uncertainty. "Do you think Pokémon should be liberated?"

The problem of whether they _should_ be liberated seemed trivial in comparison to the problem of if they _could_ be liberated. And it wasn't as if her opinion could possibly matter. So Blair shrugged.

Cheren looked at her seriously. "...I don't trust that guy. Pokémon and humans get stronger together; that's why Natrix and Mercury want to be with me. Even if some Trainers are abusive, I don't think all of us should have our Pokémon taken from us."

But in a way, it was selfish to think that so many Pokémon should suffer for the few Trainers that clung to their Pokémon under the pretense of equality. Blair would have bitten her tongue, but she didn't have to. Instead, she shrugged again and made a sign that she was going to train her Pokémon. Cheren didn't say anything either.

**-x-X-x-**

"It is alright, my Mistress. I will protect you."

She and Kenbu had found a clear secluded spot in the center where Team Plasma had congregated minutes before. The Oshawott stood in front of her protectively as Blair held the PokéBall containing her new Purrloin at arm's length. She looked her starter in the eye and they nodded simultaneously—Blair was thrilled that they were getting some sense of synchronization—before she threw the ball to a comfortable distance.

Immediately, the violet cat began hissing and spitting. "You silly inferior human, you think you c—" Kenbu cut her off with a Water Gun to the face.

"Be quiet, feral demon! You are a part of our group now, at Mistress' request. That means you are required to behave."

The cat—Vogue—gave them both a contemptuous look. "I'm required to be a slave to an inferior species?"

The words struck a chord in Blair as she remembered Team Plasma's speech. Kenbu carried on, oblivious. "My Mistress does not enslave us! She is a kind benefactor who wishes for us to grow stronger!"

"Why don't you let your 'Mistress' speak for herself, huh?" Vogue glared straight up, violet ears laid back. "Go on. Say some sappy fake shit about how you're different, how humans actually aren't that bad. I've heard it all before, and it isn't true. But you humans don't hear us, do you? You don't understand our needs at all."

Blair said nothing.

The Purrloin sighed with exaggerated exasperation. "How shocking. Another human who can't understand a word I say. Oh yes, you probably think I'm going on and on about how _wonderful_ and _fantastic_ it is that I was captured by such a nice_, sweet_ Trainer."

"That is not tr—" Blair cut Kenbu off by stepping out from behind his 'protection.' She loomed in front of the Purrloin, who stared up at her proudly.

Until Blair picked her up yowling by the scruff of her neck.

I'm_ the one who can't listen? _You're_ the one who doesn't know anything. I don't care that you don't want a Trainer. Yeah, humans are shit. You need to get over it because no matter what some silly group of idealists think, it won't change. I'm your Trainer, which means you're going to have to listen no matter what I don't say and no matter what you think of me. I just need to get eight badges and you will help me, or I will have no use for you_. The anger and frustration rolled over her for the second time that day as she vented all her silence at the squirming cat. She was expecting Training to be hard, but why did her second Pokémon have to be impossible?

The cat was glaring murder at her. "You stupid human! _Get off of me_!"

Blair didn't know what she was going to do, but the next moment she whirled around at the sound of footsteps in the grass.

"Excuse me. Your Pokémon, just now it was saying..."


End file.
